| | A '''cult of personality''' refers to a situation in which an individual, often a dictator of a country, uses [[propaganda]] and [[media]] tools excessively to create a strongly positive image of himself, often with unquestioning praise. People who have created a cult of personality include [[Kim Jong Il]], [[Mao Zedong]], [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]], [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Vladimir Lenin]], [[Joseph Stalin]], [[Saddam Hussein]], [[Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini]], and [[Fidel Castro]]. | | A '''cult of personality''' refers to a situation in which an individual, often a dictator of a country, uses [[propaganda]] and [[media]] tools excessively to create a strongly positive image of himself, often with unquestioning praise. People who have created a cult of personality include [[Kim Jong Il]], [[Mao Zedong]], [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]], [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Vladimir Lenin]], [[Joseph Stalin]], [[Saddam Hussein]], [[Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini]], and [[Fidel Castro]]. |
| − | Whilst rarer in so0called "democratic societies", there are examples of a personality cult being built around certain western political leaders including [[John F. Kennedy]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], [[Ronald Reagan]], and most recently [[Barack Obama]] among liberals and [[Donald Trump]] among conservatives. | + | Whilst rarer in so-called "democratic societies", there are examples of a personality cult being built around certain western political leaders including [[John F. Kennedy]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], [[Ronald Reagan]], and most recently [[Barack Obama]] among liberals and [[Donald Trump]] among conservatives. |
| | A cult of personality is similar to hero worship, except it involves [[mass media]] propaganda. | | A cult of personality is similar to hero worship, except it involves [[mass media]] propaganda. |